Modern Hinduism in Text and Context
brings together textual and contextual approaches to provide a holistic understanding of modern Hinduism. It examines new
sources - including regional Saiva texts, Odissi dance and biographies of Nationalists - and discusses topics such as yoga,
dance, visual art and festivals in tandem with questions of spirituality and ritual.

The book addresses themes
and issues yet to receive in-depth attention in the study of Hinduism. It shows that Hinduism endures not only in texts, but
also in the context of festivals and devotion, and that contemporary practice, devotional literature, creative traditions
and ethics inform the intricacies of a religion in context.

Lavanya Vemsani draws on social scientific methodologies
as well as history, ethnography and textual analysis, demonstrating that they are all part of the toolkit for understanding
the larger framework of religion in the context of emerging nationhood, transnational and transcultural interactions.

1. Introduction, Lavanya Vemsani (Shawnee State University, USA)Part One: Traditional Hinduism: Classical Texts,
Traditions, and Practices2. Multi-Regional and Multi-Linguistic Virasaivism: Change and Continuity in an Early Devotional
Tradition, Elaine Fisher (Stanford University, USA) 3. Entering the South Asian City: Pravesa in Literature and Religion,
Michael Baltutis (University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh, USA) 4. Demonic Devotees and Symbolism of Violence in Hindu Literature,
Carl Olson (Allegheny College, USA) 5. Sacred Groves: The Playground of the Gods, Deepak Shimkhada and Jason Mitchell
(Claremont School of Theology, USA) 6. Religious Symbolism of Sacrificial Blood in Contemporary Political Art: Myth
and Art in Tamil Popular Culture, Amy-Ruth Holt (Independent Scholar) Part Two: Hinduism in the Modern World: Colonial,
Diasporic and Women's Religion 7. Rite of Passage in India's National Struggle: Understanding Ravindranath Tagore's
Gora in the context of Religion, Lavanya Vemsani (Shawnee State University, USA) 8. America, the Superlative, and India,
the Jewel in the Crown: Religious Ideologies, Transnationalism, and the End of the Raj, Deborah A. Logan (Western Kentucky
University, USA) 9. The Integral Yoga of the Sri Aurobindo Asram: Gender, Spirituality, and the Arts,Patrick
Beldio (Catholic University of America, USA)10. In Relationship with the Goddess: Women Interpreting Leadership Roles
and Shaping Diasporic Identities, Nanette R. Spina (University of Georgia, USA) 11. Spirituality and Ritual in Odissi
Dance: Health, Healing, and Ritual in a Diaspora Performance Tradition, Kaustavi Sarkar (University of North Carolina, USA) 12. A Mandal of Their Own: Gender and the Reimagining of Community by Hindu Renouncers in North India, Antoinette E. DeNapoli
(Texas Christian University, USA) 13. Conclusion, Lavanya Vemsani (Shawnee State University, USA List of Figures List of Appendices GlossaryIndex

A wide-ranging exploration of Hinduism that draws both on textual and social
scientific approaches to provide a holistic understanding of modern Hinduism and modern Indian history.